Kevin Conville
yardbirder
The subject comes up now and then as to how to keep spotting scopes from loosening from either a tripod head platform or from a plate that attaches to a tripod head.
The ED50 cannot tolerate the brute force method as it will eventually damage the insert in the foot.
Larger scopes have enough weight to often overcome the screw and friction pad attachment on many plates causing them to rotate.
The Manfrotto plates that use a pin in addition to a screw help quite a bit if your scope's foot has a hole for a pin, though even they can loosen eventually.
The answer, I find, is just use Arca Swiss compatible clamps and plates.
Pic 1 shows an Arca type clamp in it's native habitat, in this case a Markins ballhead.
Pic 2 shows an Arca type clamp mounted on a Manfrotto 3130 (128 now) using a plastic spacer.
Pic 3 shows an Arca plate in it's more common setting, mounted to a long lens. Notice how the lip catches the back edge of the foot. This prevents any movment.
Pic 4 shows the same type plate on an ED50.
Pic 5 shows an Arca plate on an ED82.
There are many manufacturers of Arca compatible components and while they aren't inexpensive, they work better than anything else. The better manufacturers as Really Right Stuff, Markins, and Kirk makes specific plates for SLR camera bodies as well
The ED50 cannot tolerate the brute force method as it will eventually damage the insert in the foot.
Larger scopes have enough weight to often overcome the screw and friction pad attachment on many plates causing them to rotate.
The Manfrotto plates that use a pin in addition to a screw help quite a bit if your scope's foot has a hole for a pin, though even they can loosen eventually.
The answer, I find, is just use Arca Swiss compatible clamps and plates.
Pic 1 shows an Arca type clamp in it's native habitat, in this case a Markins ballhead.
Pic 2 shows an Arca type clamp mounted on a Manfrotto 3130 (128 now) using a plastic spacer.
Pic 3 shows an Arca plate in it's more common setting, mounted to a long lens. Notice how the lip catches the back edge of the foot. This prevents any movment.
Pic 4 shows the same type plate on an ED50.
Pic 5 shows an Arca plate on an ED82.
There are many manufacturers of Arca compatible components and while they aren't inexpensive, they work better than anything else. The better manufacturers as Really Right Stuff, Markins, and Kirk makes specific plates for SLR camera bodies as well
Attachments
Last edited: